


The Girl In The Wood

by Dragonsigma



Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Cute Kids, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 13:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3489542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonsigma/pseuds/Dragonsigma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn’t notice the child until she was almost under Yfandes’ hooves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Girl In The Wood

     He didn’t notice the child until she was almost under Yfandes’ hooves. The Companion stopped short and huffed at the girl, who only looked up briefly with wide eyes, then hurried across the forest path to a clump of blue flowers, basket clutched in one tiny hand. She continued to pick flowers, oblivious to the Companion and Herald standing in the path watching her.

_:Well?:_ Yfandes Mindspoke.

_:What do you want me to do?:_ Vanyel watched the girl, who was still paying him no attention at all.

_:Clearly she’s lost. The nearest settlement is miles from here, and we haven’t seen anyone all day:_

     The child’s clothing- a plain brown dress with a hint of embroidery at the collar and hem- suggested she had caretakers, and apart from the twigs decorating her braided hair, she was relatively clean, unlike most orphaned children he’d seen. But she very clearly wasn’t supposed to be out here alone. 

     “Little lady?” he called gently, finally pulling her focus from the flowers, “What are you collecting?" 

     The plants in her basket weren’t food, and they had no medicinal value as far as Vanyel knew.

     “Flowers for the fairies!” she chirped. “They’re having a Spring Festival.”

     Vanyel decided not to answer that. It was the sort of fancy that Withen had never allowed, even for the girls, and so he had no idea how to reply.

     “And where is your family? Where do you live?” he said instead.

_:Very smooth,:_ was Yfandes’ dry comment. Fortunately, the girl was unperturbed, or she understood his white uniform as a sign of authority. 

     “Down by the river.” She pouted. "But there’s no flowers there, cause Papa’s making it all into a farm.” 

     “You should go back home before it gets dark.” 

     “Why? Are there monsters at night?”

_:Are there?:_ he asked Yfandes. With the sorts of demons they’d been facing recently, it was entirely possible.

_:Don’t you start,:_ the Companion snorted.

     “No, but your papa might worry about you.”

     “Oh,” she said, sounding sad. “Do you think I have enough flowers?” She held up the basket.

     Vanyel wasn’t sure what to say; he’d never had to deal with children this small at Forst Reach. That had been left up to Lissa and the maids. 

     “I think the fairies are going to be very pleased with those.” It must have been the right thing, because the girl smiled broadly. But he didn’t want the girl to get lost, not at this time of day with darkness quickly approaching. “Do you need help finding your way home?” 

     “No, but if you follow me I can show you the fairy houses! And Papa’s got apples for your horse!” 

     Yfandes huffed at the girl, who only smiled and laughed.

     Vanyel followed the girl back to the holding, where he was presented with a very surprised farmholder, his set of hanging birdhouses, and a meal that was far better than anything he would have cooked at a Waystation.

    _:I suppose children aren’t all that bad, if I get apples in the deal,:_ Yfandes commented, and Vanyel had to agree. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for a prompt a while back.
> 
> I’m pretty certain this is the same sickeningly adorable girl from the part of What This New World Will Do For Me with the parrots.


End file.
